The Departed
by Fell The Tempest
Summary: Empty. That's the best word that can describe Fox McCloud. After losing his teammates, his love... he's got nothing left. But, what if his teammates didn't really die? What if they just... departed? R&R! First Star Fox Fic!
1. It Looks Like The End

_**-THE DEPARTED- **_**by**_** Dotkaite  
**_

If heartbreak was caused by losing a precious gem, then Fox would have had it in spades.

First, the loss of his true love. The loss of the one person who should have been with him till his dying days. The loss of the feeling that gave him strength. The loss of the hope in the midst of a never-ending war. The loss of something precious, something his heart held dear.

The loss of Krystal.

**Flashback-**

"I'm sorry, but you broke my heart."

At first, he didn't register the feeling. He felt empty, cold inside - like looking at a dull mirror in a cold room, his breath fogging up the glass.

Then it came.

A torrent of emotions. A river of sadness, grief, and most of all, regret. He couldn't believe his ears. They swirled through his mind like a tornado, destroying all rational thought...

The mirror cracked, the sound resonating throughout his very being.

She slowly, silently turned her back on the vulpine and started walking, her cheeks glistening with tears for her former love. She was crushed... but she couldn't stay. No. He had left her, thrown her out of a group she had come to call her own. Left her behind as he rode to battle, without a place to stay or a way to put food on her table, a table which was now considerably smaller. To survive, she did the only thing she could - put her piloting and sharpshooting skills to use by joining the Star Wolf team. She knew, just knew, that she would live the rest of her life there... and die there.

"I'm... so sorry..." She muttered as she picked up speed, leaving the orange-furred vulpine far behind. She choked slightly on the words as they left her mouth, and she wiped her crying eyes with her sleeve, trying not to show him how broken up she was.

_'Why... why did it have to be this way, Fox?'_

_'No... I... Krystal... this can't be...'_

**End Flashback-**

With the rift between the two complete, the Star Fox team was slowly torn apart.

Peppy. Falco. Slippy.

**Great Fox, 0824 Hrs CMT (Cornerian Military Time)-**

Fox sat in the Rec room, absently flipping channels with the remote, looking for something to watch to kill time. It wasn't really a Rec room, per se - the team affectionately called it the Wrecked room, mostly because the place was... well, wrecked. A few banged-up couches, a Foosball table missing two rods, a pool table with only 10 balls, and a TV that you needed to hit to turn on.

But, hey. It's home.

They could have fixed it, had they the money and the time. But, with crime rates extremely low, and most of the jobs being taken by Star Wolf (claiming they were trying to reform), there wasn't a wide selection to choose from. Without Krystal, beating them to the prize... it just wasn't the same. It was also a lot harder. Occasionally, they would get a job - but that didn't happen often, and it only gave them enough money to scrape by.

In the absence of work, the team had flown their separate ways. Slippy had returned to his home planet, working on a prototype Dark Matter engine with his father, Beltino. The basic idea was a ship that ran off of energy provided by the Dark Matter surrounding the ship, making it a slow-moving but fuel-efficient ship.

The only problem was, Dark Matter had been an untested fuel source. Even Slippy couldn't predict what had happened...the friction of the Dark Matter moving against its expelled form had created a massive explosion, killing Slippy and almost destroying a nearby planet.

He had died, unable to finish a job for the first time.

Peppy had been getting on in years. Not that he wasn't an excellent leader and tactician, but... well, everyone has a limit. And, unfortunately, that limit was met after battling the Aparoids. He died peacefully, passing in his sleep from this realm into the next with a smile on his face.

Falco... he couldn't stand the atmosphere in the Great Fox. With only Fox wandering the halls, there weren't many people he could talk to. He wished the others were here, but... there was nothing he could do. And as for Fox...

He spent his days getting insane amounts of exercise, flying his arwing, sleeping, and occasionally watching the news on TV. Since his incident with Krystal, he had become much less social, preferring to stay silent and let life pass him by. At nights, when he thought no one was looking, he would brood and stare at a single picture (which he kept on him at all times), and Falco could guess who it was a picture of.

So, he took it upon himself to have a talk with Fox, to get him out of his mind-funk.

**Flashback-**

"Yo, Fox!" He said, his usual smirk lighting up the room.

Fox grunted and slid out from underneath his Arwing. He was repairing it after a stray plasma bolt hit his ship during guard duty for a local trade caravan.

He set his wrench aside, sat up and yawned, stretching his back and rolling his shoulders.

"What's up, Falco?"

He grinned again, and pulled Fox to his feet. "Come on, man! Time to stop moping around! Let's hit Club Aerial tonight, get some action!"

Fox shrugged off Falco's grip and faced him. "Look, Falco," he said with slight anger in his voice. "I told you, I don't do parties. Can't you just leave me alone for a bit?"

Not one to be deterred, Falco continued. "Oh, come on! When's the last time you had any fun? Besides, it will be more fun with you around!"

Fox lowered his ears and gave Falco a light growl, his impressive build making him one imposing figure. "No. Maybe some other time." He walked back towards his Arwing to finish fixing it.

Falco grabbed him by the shoulder. "Are you sure you want to stay back? You'll really go next time?"

Fox sighed and ran his hand over his eyes, then nodded. "Yeah. Fine."

Falco sighed, then walked to the exit hatch of the Great Fox. "I guess I'll see you later, then." He grabbed his jacket and walked out into the city.

**End Flashback-**

To never return again.

After getting himself stoned, he was assulted in a back alley by some idiots who were high as a kite and looking for easy money. He died in the hospital two hours later, and Fox didn't even get to say goodbye. He didn't get the news until it was too late. Fox blamed himself for his friend's death - had he gone with Falco, the blue avian could have come back alive.

And then, he heard the news that Krystal had gone missing. Presumed dead. As a member of Star Wolf, now a center of media attention, it was impossible not to hear it.

Fox sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He was... well, it was hard to tell what he was. Heartbroken, distressed, angry, sad, regretful, but most of all... lonely. He had nothing left to live for. His love? Gone. His best friend, his team? Gone, all because he wasn't there to... do something.

It was at times like these that he contemplated suicide. It actually surprised him how easy the thought came into his head, but he didn't show it. He would sit in his chair and almost unconsciously look around the room, thinking of ways he could end himself.

...electrocution...

...gunshot...

...hanging...

Then he would snap out of that depressed state of mind, wondering what kind of sane person would think those thoughts. Wondering if he was sane at all.

He fell asleep, engulfed in an endless darkness... and strangely, a sky-blue light.

**Later that evening.-**

It was late in the evening, about one o-clock, when he felt himself awake. He opened his eyes and immediately jumped to his feet, the hair on the back of his neck rising farther with each passing second.

Something wasn't right.

He scanned the room, looking for any sign of danger. The door, still closed. Lights, still on. Windows, locked. With a quick burst of speed, he grabbed his blaster off of a nearby gun rack and ran out the door and into the steel-made hallway.

He stopped in the doorway to get his bearings. Sensing no threat, he slowly walked forward, measuring each step carefully.

Click! The lights went out. Suddenly, the temperature in the hall dropped - it was so cold, Fox could see his breath. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice that echoed down the hall.

_'Fox...'_ It sounded young and innocent, but strangely powerful. Like the ocean during high tide.

He spun around and faced into the darkness, back the way he'd come. He charged his blaster, ready to fight.

"Who's there!?"

_'Fox...'_ It echoed all around him, throwing off his aim.

He spun around again, his vision growing slightly blurry. He couldn't focus - the adrenaline pumping through his system was fogging his mind.

"Show yourself! I'm warning you!"

_'Fox...'_

Slowly, a light-blue glow filled the room, bathing the steel halls - and Fox - in its peaceful glow. It filled the cracks in the room and gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort. Instantly, Fox felt a sense of calm, of peace. He felt like he was floating - his feet didn't touch the floor, his body was weightless.

Standing in front of him was an ethereal being. It was made up of blue-colored wisps of light, swirling around and giving off a euphoric aura. The whisps of... energy, or whatever it was... slowly shaped themselves into the form of a small female fox kit in a white one-piece dress. She had fur as white as snow, and soft sapphire eyes that were now locked onto Fox's.

"Who... who are you?" He stammered. He was shocked by her appearance, but the rays of light were soothing him, calming him down...

_'...Are you sad, Mister?'_ Her whisper was pure, almost angelic. It had an unrealistic echo about it, and seemed to spread around the room in ripples. She approached him, the blue aura growing around her form.

"Huh?" Was Fox's intelligent reply. _'This is... unreal.'_

_'...Are you sad? ...You look sad... I can feel you... you're losing yourself, Mister.'_ She stopped just in front of him.

Fox knelt down to face her at eye level, but felt... asleep. Like he wasn't moving on his own.

_'...I can help you...'_ She reached out her hand.

And he took it.

The light faded.

After what seemed like only a second, the light came back, blasting outward in a huge display of power. The sound of wailing wind and echoed down the hall, and the light grew so blinding, he could only see white.

_'...Fox... they're calling for you... Fox... Fox...'_ The voice echoed around in his head, deafening him to the chaos around him. With a silent cry of pain, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the floor, the metallic thunk echoing throughout the ship.

--

He sat up in his chair, panting and breathing hard.

He shook his head to clear the drowsiness from himself, then looked around the room, making sure everything was in its place. 'Was it all just a dream?'

He stumbled out of his seat and trudged to the bathroom, his eyes closed while his feet led the way. After a few seconds, he turned on the water and splashed it in his face.

He looked in the mirror...

"WHAT!? Since when do I have blue eyes!?" He leaned in to the mirror, turning his face every way to get a better view.

"Dunno, buddy. I guess you can thank 'her' for that." The sound of the familiar voice... it shook Fox right to the very core. He whirled around, and came face to face with...

"F-falco!?"

--

(A/N:) So, this is a story idea I've been juggling around for... the past day, heheh. I think it's doing okay for now (I've put a bit of thought into future chapters) and I'm considering continuing it.

Anyway, R&R! Let me know what you think.

Oh yeah, and this is my first Starfox fic, so I'm all ears for any advice.


	2. The End Is Only The Beginning

**_-THE DEPARTED-_ by _Dotkaite_**

_**Chapter Two:** The End Is Only Beginning_

True to his word, there stood Falco, in all his feathery glory. He was smiling confidently, standing tall and proud. Same old leather biker jacket, flying goggles, and cocky smile.

"Falco!" Fox was overjoyed. He eyes were watery with unshed tears. "You're... you're alive!" He reached out his hand to pull Falco into a hug.

Only... to have his hand pass through Falco's chest. A small static-like feeling crawled its way up his arm, making him pull it back sharply. Surprised and caught off balance, he fell forward and 'through' his friend, ending in a heap on the floor.

_"Not quite,"_ Falco replied, his attitude unusually serious. He almost never said a word unless it was a either a joke or a sarcasm. Fox had noticed that his voice seemed to come from far away, and it had an echo, just like the... thing... from earlier. Where Fox had passed through him, his image was blurring, pulsing. Fox scrambled to his feet, eyes wide and confused. He shook his head, feeling frustrated.

"What do you mean, not quite? You're right here." He reached forward slowly, and poked Falco in the chest. This time, it seemed like his finger just poked through water - it rippled through Falco, blurring his image and changing his color to a metallic steel. Startled, Fox pulled his finger out - and some of the 'water' came with his finger, like a cold tendril of glue. "Woah..."

The glue-like liquid snapped back into Falco, his color and shape slowly returning to normal.

Falco just chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I said, too. Fox, I'm just a 'mirror-image' of my badass older self. In other words, a ghost- a Spirit- Whatever you want to call me. But... I'm still as awesome as ever! And I can float through walls!"

Fox gave a sigh of releif, tears staining his furry cheeks. _'Same old Falco... I guess what they say is true: you never know what you've got 'til it's gone.' _His thoughts grew more serious and his forehead wrinkled in concentration. _'And I'm not going to lose him... not ever again.' _

Another thought struck him."Wait... but, if you're a ghost, how can I see you? And why are you here?" Fox asked, searching for answers.

Falco sighed, then muttered, "Well, it's a long story."

Fox nodded in understanding. He was about to say something else, but his stomach growled loudly, interrupting him.

"Falco, do you want to get something to eat?" He asked, realizing he hadn't eaten since the night before. Hunger pains were gnawing at his stomach.

Falco just shrugged. "Whatever."

He walked to the kitchen, Falco 'floating' close behind, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Fox closed a door once on the way, but Falco just phased through the closed door, shocking Fox. _'So he really _can_ go through walls!'_

As he entered the kitchen, he reached into a half-empty plastic storage container and dug through it, looking for something to eat. Grabbing a protein bar, he opened the wrapper, and took a bite. He was about to close the lid, but the thought struck him...

"Wait a minute. Uh, Falco... do you, you know, eat?" He asked with a full mouth. Hey, no one here really cared about matters at the moment, so it's not like it was a big deal.

Falco nodded his head. "Yeah. Don't need to, but I could if I wanted to. I'm made of energy - if I ever get low, I just sap a bit of power from a nearby light bulb or something. I never get hungry. It kinda sucks, but it's cool." He took a 'seat' in the corner of the room, blue wisps of smoke and light trailing from his form as he leaned against the wall.

"Besides, what do you think would happen if I did eat something? Most couldn't see me, so it would look like something was floating in mid-air and getting bites taken out of it. Great at parties, but it sometimes causes mass panic." He laughed at his own joke._  
_

Fox chuckled and sat down at the steel table, one hand on his chin while the other held his food. He took a bite of a protein bar, the familiar, slightly bland taste filling his mouth.

Finishing it, he wasn't sure how he should talk to Falco. After all, how do you start a conversation with someone who's been dead for months? To calm himself, stared through a nearby window into the depths of space, enjoying the feeling as he gazed upon the stars. It was something he would never tire of, something that always helped console him.They were perfect, those stars - always glowing, warming everything with their rays. Ancient. They had seen much change, they had always been there.

The sight helped him think. He thought of all he had been through - with his team, his friends, his family - and realized that there were many things he wanted to talk about. He just wanted to hang out with his now-un-dead friend. But, right now, it was a time for answers. The reunion could wait.

Settling down a bit, he organized his thoughts.

"So..." Fox stopped. He really wasn't sure where to begin. There was so much to ask, it was maddening.

Falco nodded and yawned. "Lemme guess. You have a ton of questions and no answers, right?"

Fox just nodded, Falco's explanation fitting things perfectly.

"Well, I don't know that much. I'm just learning the basics, myself." Fox frowned. He hated being left in the dark, especially about things involving himself.

"...What did you sat earlier? About 'her'? Who is she?" He asked quickly, hoping to get some good answers.

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Falco exclaimed. "Her name's Aika**(1)**_._ She's a powerful spirit of a child or something close to it. She tends to help people close to death, giving them her blessing and all that..." He trailed off, lost in thought.

"Huh... Well, then why did she... 'bless' me? Last time I checked, I was in the best condition I'd ever been in my life. I don't think I'm on death's door." Fox mused.

Falco replied thoughtfully, "Well... I really don't know for sure, but I could make a good guess." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe... she was attracted to, you know, your emotions. Thoughts of suicide and all that. I mean, I'm just your average ghost and I can see them, plain as day. You were brooding one heck of a lot for the past few weeks, and from watching you, I can say I'm not surprised she came, bro."

"Watching me?" Fox asked, confused - an emotion that was becoming much more familiar to him.

Falco just gave him a mock glare."Hey, woah! Not like that, man. I'm straight, I swear." He gave a small chuckle, soon joined by Fox.

After a small, comfortable silence, Falco coughed and continued."Well, you see, heh, I've been here the whole time, you just haven't seen me. Most people can't see ghosts, period, but those with 'the Sight' can. Normally it would take a lot of power, but it's easy enough if we drop our guard or choose to let them." He explained, laying it out as simply as he could.

"What's 'the Sight'? Does it have something to do with my eyes?" He thought about his new eye color and how he got it. _'Blue... it reminds me of her...'_ His mood darkened slightly, but he didn't let it show._  
_

Falco felt his aura shift, but didn't comment on it. "Maybe, maybe not. It means you have spirit power, but how much is anyone's guess. Basically, you can sense and see ghosts, view the future, read emotions... stuff like that. I'm not really sure how it works though." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"So, can anyone else see you?"

Falco shook his head. _"_I doubt it. If someone doesn't have the Sight, and I'm pretty sure there aren't many others, they can't see me period. If they have it, they have to want to see me, or at least know that I'm here. That, or I show myself."

"Huh..." Fox trailed off into thoughtful silence, eyes drifting towards the ceiling. _'This is a lot to take in.'_

"...What should I do now?" He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head on his palms, trying to relieve the headache he was getting.

"Depends. Did she say anything to you?" Falco asked curiously. Fox didn't know it at the time, but when a powerful spirit visits you, it's a lot more complicated than you make it out to be.

Fox noticed his interest in her words, but paid it little attention. Heck, if someone as important as her had talked to Falco, he'd want to know about it, too.

"Uh... let me think..."

**Flashback-**

_'...Fox... they're calling for you... Fox... Fox...' The voice echoed around in his head, deafening him to the chaos around him. With a silent cry of pain, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the floor, the metallic thunk echoing throughout the ship._

**End Flashback-**

"Come to think of it, yeah." His voice was slightly raspy, and he felt almost as old as Peppy. It sounded like a lot was resting on his shoulders. "She said that 'they were calling for me', whoever they are."

His mind was running wild. This was the biggest thing to ever happen to him... well, one of them at least. There were so many possibilities - So many things he could do, so many things he should do... and he didn't even know where to start. He felt like a giant drum was banging in his head. And, boy, was it loud.

For a brief moment, he felt like ignoring everything and letting life run its course - but then he shut that thought down and threw it into the deepest corridors in his mind. This was no time for running away. This was no time for taking the easy way out. He'd been given a second chance, to live the way he should have lived. He was a lot of things, but a coward wasn't one of them. He was Fox McCloud -and he'd take on whatever fate threw his way.

Falco stood, his feet hovering slightly off the ground and his hands in his pockets. "Well, no use worrying about it for now. You got that gift for a reason, and it'll probably come to you soon... who knows? Besides, I'll be there with ya. Sort of." He smiled, giving Fox a slight confidence boost. He was right. Whatever was coming, they'd face it together.

Sort of.

--

_**(1)** Abbreviation of the Aikaterine, the Greek goddess of purity. Also, a version the japanese word for 'love'.  
_

A/N: So, chapter two's completed! This was more of an informational chapter. There's more to come, and I'll be updating regularly.

Hmm, I'm planning to keep it at a 2k word minimum per chapter. These last two have been about the minimum, I know, but there weren't 3 or 4k words' worth of ideas to put down. The next chapter should be bigger, though.

I type really freakin fast (fourteenth in the country at last count, unofficial contest, 122 words per minute), but in all honesty it takes me a while to come up with good ideas for a story.

So...

The chapters won't have a definite update rate. If I have my way, it'll be fairly often, so that's something to look forward to. :)

Also, I try not to write A/N's that are too long. Honestly, many writers do it as a ploy to get word count up. Not me. If it's a serious review (such as critique on storyline, character behavior, etc), however, I may respond.

I'll only put it here if it's a rant of epic length that EVERYONE needs to hear. Which shouldn't happen often. Hopefully.

-Dotkaite


	3. There's a Fine Line

**_-THE DEPARTED-_ by _Dotkaite_**

_**Chapter Three: **__There's a Fine Line_

It was a sunny day on planet Corneria. The sun was glistening off the water, trees were swaying gently in the breeze, and the local people were waking up to just another average day. You could say it was perfect - giving no hint at the peril to come.

Fox walked down the paved sidewalk, wearing casual attire - a pair of tan khaki pants, a collared black shirt, and a stylish pair of white tennis shoes. He strolled down the street at a leisurely pace, drawing a bit of attention from the other pedestrians - after all, it's not often that you see Fox McCloud, former leader of Star Fox anymore.

After all, he had become something of a recluse since his team had broken up. Heck, most people had forgotten about him, or thought that he was dead. With the deaths of his teammates, it seemed only natural that Fox would die as well...

To the acute observer, he would have looked rather odd. He seemed to be muttering to himself on occasion, and one or two times burst out laughing. He paid no mind to his seemingly crazy behavior, and led a few people to think he had lost his mind due to the stress of losing his teammates.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep it down, Fox? You know better than this..." Falco sighed. He was floating next to fox, not bothering to keep his voice down. No one else could hear him, anyway.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Fox whispered, slightly flushed. "Gah, all these people are staring and stuff... I really have to get used to talking like this." He walked by an old couple, and he immediately shut up when they turned to look at him. He averted his eyes and stared ahead until he turned at the next corner.

"Tell me about it..." Falco muttered, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, why are we here again?"

Fox quietly sighed. "Don't you remember? I told you at least three times this morning." He stopped at a street corner, waiting for the pedestrian sign to turn green so he could cross.

Falco just shrugged and dismissed him. "Whatever. I'm not a morning person. My day doesn't started 'til at least noon." He saw Fox open his mouth, but shushed him and pointed. "Hold on a sec- more people are heading over here."

Fox stood in silence as a small group of people joined him at the street corner. Such a group was common on Corneria - a place of industry and city life, the streets were always filled with people.

The crossing light turned green, and Fox headed across the street. Or at least, he started to.

"Oof!" Fox let loose a small cry as he bumped into a person walking the opposite way. He tried to gain his balance, but was hit again! He stumbled sideways and fell headfirst into the road, right in the path of oncoming traffic!

He distantly heard a woman screaming. A red and black colored sports car roared down the road, coming at him like a solid-steel, sixty mile-per-hour wrecking ball. Desperately, he rolled onto his chest and made himself as small as possible. The speeding car passed over him, the undercarriage missing his head by inches.

"Sht!" He yelled, adrenaline blazing like liquid fire through his veins. He stepped to his feet, only to be face to face with another car. It was only a few feet in front of him, going just as fast as the other one! At this distance, there wouldn't be time to stop the car - or to jump out of the way.

It is said that you can see someone's true colors when they're in a life-and-death situation. That you can see their other side... the side that runs on instinct, almost bred out through hundreds of years of evolution.

Fox was faced down with almost certain death. He futilely held his hands out in front of him as if to shield off the coming blow. In the last second, all he could think was, _'I want to live. I need to live. I have to live... liveliveliveliveLIVELIVE'_

And, suddenly, the car missed him. To the pedestrians, it appeared that fox had leapt out of harm's way in the nick of time. To Fox, he was standing in front of the car... and then he wasn't. He didn't pay attention to that, however - he got out safely, and that was all that mattered.

He stumbled to the side of the road, almost losing balance. Adrenaline leaving his system, he crashed to his knees, panting heavily. A few of the shocked pedestrians ran over to help him.

"Son, are you okay? Are you alright?" An old, grey-furred wolf asked. His face was wrinkled with signs of worry, and he bent down to help the stunned vulpine to his feet.

"Uh... a-a bit shaken, but I'm okay." He gasped, trying to catch his breath. The old lupine held out his hand for Fox to take. Fox accepted his help, and together they stood, the pedestrians applauding him for his amazing luck and offering to call for an ambulance. He politely refused their help, seeing as he wasn't injured. Soon, the crowd had dispersed, and he continued his walk.

--

Behind the retreating vulpine, a certain figure cursed. "Damn. He's resourceful. Much better than our past reports have indicated."

He opened his cell phone and talked to the voice on the other end of the line.

"He got away. Our man should have finished him then and there." He muttered into the phone, careful not to attract any attention.

"I am disappointed in you, my servant. Do not fail me again, or there will be... severe... consequences." The voice muttered darkly, giving a soft, maniacal chuckle at the end of his statement.

The figure shuddered, almost dropping his cell phone. "Y-yes, master. It won't happen again." He quickly pocketed the device and scanned the nearby area for eavesdroppers. Finding none, he quickly walked away, leaving no trail.

It was almost like he'd never been there in the first place.

--

"Now then, where are we going?" Falco nonchalantly asked.

"We're going to the Cornerian Information Database." Fox explained, slightly annoyed. He was tired as hell! _'Honestly, he has to pay more attention to things like this.'_

"Uh..." Falco ruffled his feathers. "And why are we going there?"

Fox sweatdropped. "Falco, think about it. It's the best place to learn about things. I bet we can find something on 'Aika', maybe find out what I'm supposed to do. Maybe find a bit more about 'Sight', that sort of thing." He elaborated. "Basically, I'm trying to find out whatever I can."

"Oh." Falco said. After a few minutes of walking (or in Falco's case, floating) he asked, "So, where are we going again?"

"Falco!" Fox grunted. Honestly, this bird-brain was getting on his nerves! As if he _didn't_ have enough to think about at the moment.

Falco burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he floated along. "Nah, I'm just kidding!" He looked around quickly. Blinking once, then twice, he said, "We're here."

Fox took a deep breath. He'd heard rumors about it, but he hadn't been expecting this! It was at least a hundred stories tall, made of shiny AA-Titanium, thick enough to withstand plasma bombardment for hours on end. It dwarfed the rest of the city with its massive steel frame, easily soaring at least twenty thousand feet into the sky.

"Woah..." Fox muttered, standing in front of the steps into the massive building.

Falco started floating ahead. "Come on, Fox. Let's get this over with." Fox just shrugged and followed him into the CID.

As they entered the building, they looked with awe at their surroundings. They appeared to be in an elaborate, comfortable entry room - it was like a long hallway, stretching almost as far as they could see. It had Roman-esque columns and stone statues of many great Cornerians placed along the sides of the halls, giving it an ancient, powerful feeling. A single red carpet traveled straight down the middle of the hallway, and it was very intricate... it looked like someone had spent a great deal of time weaving almost unnoticeable strands of gold into it. Not enough to stand out, but enough to give it a beautiful sheen.

They walked down the hall for a couple minutes, until they reached a reception desk. A female blue heron peered over the desk at them, pushing her wire-rimmed glasses up a bit. "Hello, and welcome to the Cornerian Information Database. We have over twenty billion documents in this establishment, including documents of law, every book written in the last hundred years, government records, and much more! What will you be searching for today?"

Fox leaned casually against the desk. "Would you happen to have any information on paranormal activity? Ghosts, demons, and the like."

The heron smiled, then pointed to an elevator at one corner of the room. "I'm sure you'll find what you're looking on the ninety-fifth floor. If you can't find it there, the 'Science Fiction and Supernatural' section goes all the way through floor 102. I've always found the subject fascinating, I hope you find what you're looking for." She turned back to her paperwork, chewing lightly on a pencil.

Fox walked towards the elevator. "Thanks for the help!" He called over his shoulder. The woman just shushed him, then muttered something about "no yelling." He didn't really hear what she was saying, since he was already in the elevator.

He looked at a nearby steel-colored keypad, a message appearing above it. It read 'Floor Destination #?'. He typed in the floor coordinates and then pressed "Enter."

A light humming echoed through the small room as it ascended, smoothly gaining speed as it climbed the impossibly tall building. Fox stuck his hands in his pockets and tapped his foot to the elevator music to pass the time.

As he neared the ninety-fifth floor, the elevator slowed to a halt and pinged, opening with soft hiss. Fox stepped out, a cool blast of air gushing into the open door.

He entered a very large room - almost the size of a football field. In the very center was a large steel table, on top of which floated a holographic projection of Planet Corneria. Many computers surrounded the table, the dull glow from their screens providing little light.

There were quite a lot of people here, surprisingly. Most of the computers were already being used. Fox quietly strolled over to a nearby unused computer.

He sat down and pressed the power button on his computer. The computer started booting up, making small whirring sounds. Fox reclined in his chair, waiting for it to load.

And that was when he felt it.

He had this odd... itching sensation in the back of his head. He turned left and right, and noticed that all of the other computer stations were empty. No one was in the room! Not sure what was going on, he stood up and walked away from the computer. "Anyone? Hello?" His voice echoed through the empty room, and no one responded. He started shivering lightly, his breath coming out in clouds in front of him.

He heard a small ping and quickly spun around to face the source of the noise. He drew his concealed blaster and dropped to one knee, ready to fire.

The computer had finished booting. Red letters scrolled down the pitch black screen, causing a shiver to run down Fox's spine, and not one from the cold. **"BLESSED ONE, PROTECTOR OF BLUE. Y/N."**

Not sure what to expect, he slowly inched towards the now-empty computer, scanning his blind spots for danger. The lights suddenly flickered on and off, dying like flies. _'This... is too freaky. Something's up.'_

Soon, all of the lights in the room were dead, and the only source of light was the lone screen.He instinctively pulled a small magnetic pocket-light out of his back pocket and attached it to his blaster, the cold steel in his hands providing a sense of security.

He walked a bit closer to the computer, only for his flashlight to mysteriously shut itself off. Fox nervously glanced around the room, not even able to see two feet in front of his face. 'I was right. It's about time to make my exit.' Even thought he lights were off, he still knew where the exit was. He tried to turn and run towards the exit - but all he managed was to slightly turn his head.

_'What's... happening... to me?'_ He mentally grunted, trying valiantly to move himself. _'I can't control my own body!'_ The only thing he managed to do was slightly twitch his fingers, as his body moved itself closer and closer to the keyboard.

He watched helplessly as his hand reached out and hit the Y key.

--

Chapter Three Concluded!

Hmm. I've been reading the comments posted, and you reviewers are absolutely right! I have to put a bit more work into my story, rather than just posting "Flashback" and "End Flashback."

Now, the end of this chapter was a bit tough to write out... it may appear a bit off-kilter. However, I promise you that the next chapter will be twice as good! (I think. I haven't written it yet.) I'm going to write my first fight scene in the next chapter. Hopefully, it will be epic!


	4. Between the Living and Dead

_Wow! Honestly, I'm completely taken aback. When I first started writing this story, I feared that it would be just another nameless fic that nobody watched... but right now, I've just been pleasantly surprised! I checked the view counter, and I'm very happy that so many people decided to read! _

_As my way of saying 'thanks', I'm releasing this chapter early. It's longer than the previous ones, and has the fight scene I promised! Thanks for all the support, guys._

**_-THE DEPARTED-_ **by_ Dotkaite_

_**Chapter Four: Between the Living and the Dead**_

Panic gripped him like an iron fist, and he closed his eyes out of sheer terror. With a terrifying bang, a surge of electricity pulsed through the room, like an EMP grenade going off. Fox's fur stood on end, and he shuddered slightly as the blast passed through him.

He waited a few seconds, then slowly opened his eyes. He waited expectantly for something to happen... nothing did. Realizing that he could move again and thinking it was over, he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve.

Suddenly, a blue-purple electrical beam shot out of the computer screen and right at Fox. It struck him in the chest, burning his shirt to shreds, yet leaving his skin nearly untouched - save for a blue, paw print-like mark that appeared right over his heart.

His face contorted in a soundless scream of agony as what felt like hundreds of thousands of volts flowed through his body, paralyzing him with their flaming sting. The electricity slowly formed a shell around his trembling form, and after a few seconds, he was lifted into the air. Up, up, up... he was lifted higher and higher, until he was over twenty feet above the ground.

Slowly, he felt the pain disappear. His agony was replaced by a sense of peace, his sorrow and doubts replaced with calm and reason. _'Am I... dead?'_ He thought wearily, bringing a glowing hand to his face. He stared at it dumbly, not believing that it was real.

Suddenly, he felt like he was falling.

The electrical field dissipated, and he fell haphazardly to the floor, landing hard on his hands and knees. He grunted and stood up, only to almost fall right back down... he had to get used to standing on his own too feet again.

As he struggled to get to his feet, a certain sound met his ears. It was the dull clunk of boots - lots of them - on the hard steel floor.

He turned around, and came face to face with three very odd figures. They looked like wolves, but... at the same time, they were just to unnatural to be wolves. Their fur had a sickly white color, and their eyes were black holes - devoid of light, seeming to absorb the life around them. They were lightly dressed, only wearing identical pairs of baggy black pants. One of them raised a claw and pointed at Fox, then made a slashing motion across his own neck. He cackled evilly, the other two joining in.

For a moment, panic gripped Fox's heart, but then he shoved it aside and pulled his slightly charred blaster out of his concealed holster. It was times like these that he learned to appreciate his military training... in the heat of the moment, he had the discipline to work through the panic that consumed many others.

The appearance of the weapon made the figures hesitate for a brief moment, but they just shrugged off the intimidation of a loaded gun and slowly walked towards Fox. One of them licked his lips in anticipation of a good fight.

"Stay back!" Fox yelled, gazing down the sight of the gun. He had the apparent leader of the bunch right in the middle of his crosshair. He couldn't miss this shot. Still, they approached, ignoring the gun as if it wasn't there.

"I'm warning you! I'll shoot!" He continued, gritting his teeth as they walked closer and closer. When they were almost ten feet from him, he pulled the trigger, a bright red streak of energy bursting from the barrel. It traveled like a homing missile, locked onto its soon-to-be dead target.

The plasma bullet raced onward, hitting the leader between the eyes. It continued on through, leaving a solid hole through his head, and hit a bookshelf behind him. It sizzled on impact, igniting a few books.

He fell backwards, eyes rolled into his head. He landed with a loud 'thump' on the floor, which echoed through the room.

Fox turned to the remaining two. "Now then..." he muttered, "What's it going to be?" Instead of the fear or usual terror he was expecting, all he got was a laugh. When he turned to face the dead leader, he found out why.

He was slowly sitting up, the hole through his head fixing itself - a brief flash of red, and the hole was perfectly healed, like it had never been there in the first place. He stood up, and pretended to brush invisible dust off of his shoulders.

Fox grit his teeth and shot again, this time hitting him through the heart. He stumbled back, the hole in his chest leaking a silvery fluid of some kind. The leader panted slightly, then smirked as the hole repaired itself.

Fox stopped shooting, his jaw dropping in surprise, his eyes wide._ 'What? How is this possible? No one can survive a bolt to the head or the heart, let alone heal that fast.'_

This just made the wolves laugh harder. Slightly annoyed now, Fox angrily charged at the leader of the group and launched a roundhouse kick at the side of his face... only for it to pass through, his form rippling slightly, then reforming.

_'These guys...'_ Fox thought desperately, _'They're ghosts, just like Falco!' _He snapped out of his shock as his target just smirked and made a 'come here' motion with his hand._  
_

Making another attempt, Fox launched a flurry of punches and kicks at the leader, hoping for at least one shot to make contact. He had a lot of experience in hand to hand combat - by no means was he an amateur - but this looked like something beyond him.

After either letting many hits pass right through him or dodging them, the leader reached out and grabbed Fox's wrist, holding it in place with one hand. Fox struggled to get out of the wolf's grip, but he couldn't -_ 'Dang, this guy's strong! Somehow, he can touch me... and I can't even lay a finger on him!'_

The wolf smirked evilly, then threw Fox by the wrist into his waiting teammates. The first tried to clothesline Fox, but he ducked under it by sheer instinct. However, he wasn't prepared for the third wolf to launch a hard, steel-toed kick at his unprotected back.

With a cough, he was launched off of his feet and flew face-first into a bookshelf, knocking it over and spilling hundreds of books all over the floor. They provided the perfect fuel for the slowly growing fire, causing it to spread quickly - turning half of the library into a flaming inferno.

Fox shrugged a few fallen books off of his back, then slowly worked his way to his feet, panting heavily. Nothing seemed to be working against these guys! However, he knew, just knew that if he gave up now, they'd finish him.

The wolves slowly circled Fox, like a pack of sharks waiting to devour their prey. With an unseen command, all three leapt at Fox simultaneously. Fox, relying on his much-needed reflexes, jumped into the air and did a split-kick, getting two of the ghosts between the eyes while the third passed underneath him and ran into his teammates. He noticed that even though his feet passed through them, they seemed a bit dazed... getting hit in the forehead must have made them lose focus, even if it was for only a little bit. Not only that, but even though he really couldn't touch ghosts, they could touch each other.

He gave a small smirk at finding their weak point, even if it was just a small one.

The leader saw Fox smirking, and snarled angrily, literally foaming at the mouth. "...You think you're funny? I'll show you FUNNY!" He cocked his fist and launched a sloppy, yet powerful punch at Fox's face.

Fox quickly guarded against the blow, only for the wolf's fist to phase right through his arm and hit in the face. Fox reeled back from the blow, blood running down his chin... he must have broken his nose. He couldn't really tell - he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. _'Note to self,'_ he thought dully, _'Don't piss this guy off.'_

The three wolves gave him no chance to recover. While he was still stunned from the last hit, they encircled him again. One of them punched him in the back of them head, sending him forward into the waiting arms of the leader.

"Say good-night!" He yelled creepily, then lifted his foot and clothes-lined Fox with his heel. Fox fell backwards, the wolf's foot landing on his head.

Fox groaned and winced in pain as the leader ground his heel into Fox's temple while his teammates laughed and ridiculed the downed vulpine. It felt like someone was pounding the side of his head with a sledgehammer, and with each heartbeat the pain became steadily worse. When Fox thought he couldn't take any more, the leader picked him up with one hand, spun, and hurled him across the room and into a closed steel door.

He slowly slid down the wall, the force of the blow actually leaving a Fox-shaped dent in the steel. He felt the cold trickle of water matting his fur as the fire alarm sounded, activating their sprinkler systems. With a huge effort, he grit his teeth and brought himself to his feet once more.

"Ohh, looks like little Fox hasn't had enough!" One of them cackled. He cracked his knuckles as he walked menacingly towards the downed form of Fox, who was leaning on the wall for support.

Fox, meanwhile, had just met his limits. _'I can't... can't beat them... can't touch...'_ His vision drifted in and out of focus as almost certain death walked his way. _'I... I have to. I can do this!'_ He snarled as he stood up. He knew it was futile, but he wouldn't... couldn't go down without a fight! He mustered all of his strength, focusing it into one fist. He grit his teeth in concentration, and threw the hardest punch he had ever thrown.

Time seemed to slow in that very moment. The newly-made mark on Fox's chest started to ignite. It was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors, mostly shades of white and blue. The glow traveled down his arm like fire and coated his fist, surrounding it with a thick, blue aura.

"Oof!" The air left the wolf's lungs as he was thrown back a good five feet, knocked out cold. The other two stared on in surprise. No one - NO ONE could touch, let alone hit a spirit! It was impossible! And for their teammate to be knocked out in one hit...

They looked at Fox, now extremely frightened. This, this mortal - he had done something thought impossible. He was covered in bloody scrapes and bruises, with one eye swollen shut, but his whole posture just screamed power. He bared his teeth and let loose a demonic-sounding howl that seemed to echo endlessly.

Grabbing their unconscious partner, the two wolves were quickly surrounded by a fine white mist and vanished, leaving no trace that they had ever been in the room in the first place. Fox fell onto his back, thoroughly exhausted, staring at the ceiling. It was almost all that he could do at the moment - fatigue covered on him like a heavy blanket. He could barely bring himself to lift his head.

It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

A second set of words appeared on the computer screen. "PROTECTOR OF BLUE. YOU MUST RETURN THE KEEPER. YOU ARE THE KEEPER'S KEY. BLUE'S FATE IS IN YOUR HANDS." He stared blearily at the screen, the words barely registering in his head. Right now, he just needed to rest...

--

"WAH!" He snapped his head up and looked around. He quickly took in his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was that he was still at the computer, sitting in a cold steel chair. He was still in the same room, but it seemed... active. Warmer. Lights flickered on and off on a display in front of him. The lights in the room were on, and his clothes weren't destroyed.

The second thing he noticed was that many people were staring at him. No less than thirty heads were turned in his direction, each of them with a look of confusion, and maybe bit of annoyance. _'People...?'_ The memories came back to him instantly. _'Wait a minute. Wasn't I the only one here?'  
_

He put his head in his hands and rubbed his forehead. _'Gah, this is so confusing. Lemme think... I walked in here, turned on the computer. Then everyone vanished, the lights went out, and I got... zapped? Then I got into a fight...'  
_

He shook his head, not believing himself._ 'It could have been a dream... but I doubt it. Something's going on, and whatever it is, isn't good.'  
_

Falco floated over to him. "Hey, Fox! What's up, find something good?" He asked, lazily drifting over the heads of the small crowd of people.

Fox remembered their earlier talk and kept his mouth shut for a bit, until the attention he was getting from the other people died down. When he was sure that no one was watching, he answered. "I'm... not sure," he whispered, just loud enough that Falco could hear it. "But... I definitely think we should get out of here."

--

That's chapter Four!

Hmm... any comments on the fight scene? It's my first, and I'd like some critique.

Also, I know my chapters are a bit on the short side, but... well, that's just how I roll. I write short chapters but update often. This way, I can get the overall story to last longer, as well as be updated on a regular basis. It also helps me deal with writers' block.

As for lack of description, I can honestly say that I think on a really high level, and I'm not saying that to sound cocky or arrogant. When you give me a really basic description of something my mind fills in the rest- and I tend to overlook it on most levels. I'm considering asking someone to Beta my story, but it seems more trouble than it's worth.

However, I may change my opinion if the a good Beta reader presents him or herself.

Anyway, R&R! Let me know what you think, especially concerning the fight scene... which was pretty much the whole chapter, heh.


	5. Deus Ex Machina

[Great Fox, 0530 Hrs CMT]

"Fox, what's the hurry? We'll get there when we get there."

Fox rushed through the steel corridors of the Great Fox, his feet pounding the steel grating below. The sound burst through the nearly empty ship like a trumpet, signaling the beginning of a new challenge. It hit in time with a heavy rock tune that was playing over the intercom system.

_"I want dominationnn! I want your submission! I wanna roll the dice...." _yelled the voice over the PA, his electric guitar pounding over the speaker sysyem.

He barreled through a closed door, not bothering to close it behind him - he had to get to there fast, and when you're going against a ghost, you have to pull out all the stops. And seriously, who cares about an open door?

"Yeah... but if we run, we can get there faster!" Fox said competitively, while racing his friend/rival to the the Briefing Room, their improvised finish line. Their ship had everything - a gym, a kitchen, even a swimming pool - but not a track, a fact which puzzled Fox. Falco was flying beside him, looking perfectly at home in the air. After all, what bird wasn't used to flying?

"Heheh, good point." Falco replied, taunting Fox with a fake yawn. "But, do you honestly think you can get there faster than me? I mean, look at me, I'm not even breaking a sweat." He pretended to dust some invisible dust off of his shoulder, giving a cocky smirk.

Fox laughed as he sprinted, urging his feet to take him faster and faster. "That's because you can't sweat! Besides, this is a great workout!" And indeed it was. The halls of the Great Fox were almost a mile long when added together, and Fox and Falco took advantage of this.

Fox and Falco ran this track on a regular basis. It helped pass the time, and got both of them into shape. Apparently, Falco also had his own limit on speed and energy, too - and the more he expended energy, through movement and activity, the more his body could hold. So far, his reserves of energy had increased to the point that he could now touch and move things - only small objects for the time being, but that would improve with time. He had even managed to 'posses' his Arwing, allowing him to fly it for short distances. He was still a bit shaky with it, but was improving fast.

After three more minutes of sprinting, they made it to the Bridge. Falco burst through the open doorway, smirking while Fox stumbled in behind him. "Heh, the great Fox McCloud, beaten by a dead guy!"

Fox stuck out his tounge immaturely. It wasn't often he got to act like childish, and whenever he had the opportunity, he took it. After all, having a constant military mindset was killer on you, mentally and physically.

_"Wooahh! I never give in! Wooaahh! I never give up..."_

"Pfft, you think you won that? You've been floating through all the doors on the way here! I say you cheated, so I win!" He proclaimed loudly, pumping his fist into the air.

Falco just smirked back. "Is it just me, or does it sound like someone in here is asking for a rematch? I don't know if I should accept... after all, I've beaten you four times in a row now."

"Four times? Huh, didn't seem like that many to me. Besides, back then, I was just going easy on you! I bet I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back!" Fox challenged. It was always like this. Falco usually won, but with Fox's steady improvement, Falco was often hard-pressed to beat him - even if he didn't let it show.

"Alright then. Let's run again, first one back here wins." Fox opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Falco. "And, yes, you really have to run with one arm tied behind your back." Fox's brows furrowed, and he grumbled about the unfairness of it all. Racing had gotten repeditive after a while, so they had started spicing it up. Now, it was his turn to run with a handicap.

"Sounds good... but how about we make this interesting?"

"...What do you have in mind?" He asked, curiously.

"How about... the last one there has their arwing painted pink." He suggested, mentally chuckling at the thought of Falco flying a pink arwing. Falco paled at the thought, but then had a sudden realization. If he could beat Fox, then he'd be the one having the last laugh - and being a spirit, he had the advantage. He laughed sinisterly, then hissed, "You're on!"

They both took their positions at their makeshift starting line, made of a few white plastic strips they had nailed to the floor.

"On your mark! Get set--!"

Suddenly, the overhead music shut off and loud beeping replaced it. It blared loudly, like a bullhorn that wouldn't SHUT UP, making Fox curse and cover his ears. Damn his heightened hearing!

"I think we'll have to hold this for later, Falco," Fox said, rubbing his forehead and trying to restore his ears. Chances were that he'd die even before he made it into combat! Falco just sighed and nodded, following him as they briskly walked into the Briefing Room.

Fox silently approached a large, circular super-computer. It was made of a special type of steel, making it very heavy and solid as well as making it near-indestructible. It took up a good portion of the room, but was small enough that there was enough room to move around. Fox walked past many computer screens, each reading off random bits of information, before pressing a glowing, neon-green button.

Pepper's head appeared over the Holo-Projector located in the center of the computer banks, his voice crackling over the room's speakers.

"Fox! Good to see you, boy!" He gave his usual smile and a cheesey thumbs-up, which Fox returned with gusto. If Pepper had called, it must have been something important! Hopefully, he'd be getting a job.

Fox grinned and saluted the General. "Hey there, Pepper! What's up? Do you have another mission for me?"

Pepper nodded, his eyes scanning over a piece of paper or something of the sort that was hidden offscreen. "Yes, Fox. Our sensors have picked up a distress call from the depths of space, in a roughly unexplored area."

"Wait, unexplored? I was under the impression that every sector of space in the Lylat system had been explored at some point or other." he said, thoughtfully. This was getting unusual.

"That was true, Fox, but this is a special case. A recent explosion there has ripped a part of the nearby planet, Hindron, into space, rearranged asteroid orbit, and shifted the location of floating debris. My men can't access the area - our ships are too big, and there's a high risk of death. We trust you because you are a very skilled pilot," he finished quickly, not wanting Fox to get the wrong idea.

Fox dismissed him quickly, not batting an eye. "Yeah, yeah. I got it. When do I start?"

General Pepper glanced at a timer that appeared next to him. "The mission will start at oh-nine hundred hours. You will meet up with a group of aerial fighters under my direct command, just outside Hindron's atmosphere." General Pepper looked offscreen for a moment, and Fox could hear the soft 'taka-taka' of buttons being tapped rapidly. "I'm sending the coordinates to you now..." Pepper continued.

Sure enough, a nearby communications screen lit up, a long system of numbers scrolling its way across the green-black screen. All of the mission information was spelled out here: the name of the employer, the mission length, the start time, recommended gear, location coordinates... the list kept growing and growing.

"Thanks, Pepper..." Fox said, briefly scanning over the mission parameters. Everything seemed to check out... although, he felt odd, looking at the coordinates. They seemed... familiar.

"Alright then, Fox. That'll be all..." He was about to sign out and close the mission briefing, but was interrupted by Fox.

"...and what about our usual fee?" Fox smirked.

General Pepper pouted. "Fine, fine. I'll give you a quarter of the credits now, then the other three when the mission is complete."

Fox smiled innocently - messing with Pepper never got old. "A pleasure doing business with you, General."

Pepper sighed quietly, his ears drooping as he thought of the money that he'd be spending. "Kids these days..." he mumbled, before he logged off. Falco smirked casually, ruffling his feathers as he chuckled.

"Wow, heh, same old Pepper." He glanced at a nearby clock, his smile broadening. "It looks like we've only got a few hours before the mission starts. We've got to bring our A-game on this one, hopefully it'll bring in more missions. I can't wait ta get some action!"

"We, Falco? You're gonna have to stay here." Fox replied, walking to his room to take a shower and get ready for the mission.

"What are you talking about, Fox? Aren't I coming along?" He asked, looking confused. Since when wasn't he allowed to take wing?

Fox paused, turning back to face Falco. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, but it was a necessity that Falco stay back. "No, of course not. If you possessed your Arwing, it would raise a lot of suspicion. The way you fly, I doubt they'd believe the Arwing was on auto-pilot. They'd probably ask a lot of questions that I'm not ready to answer at this point." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Sorry, but you're going to have to stay here for a bit."

Falco just shrugged. "'s fine. I can practice shooting or something in the meantime. I doubt I could fight very well in my current state, anyway."

Fox nodded. "Alright then. We'll take the Arwing to the general area, then I'll fly solo from there."

"Sounds good."

Two hours later, the Great Fox reached its destination. They were a little bit early, but Fox liked to leave a good impression. The better they did on this job, the more jobs they'd be able to score later.

Fox tapped a few keys in rapid succession, then pulled a nearby lever. He was sitting in the captain's seat of the Great Fox, which fortunately needed only one person to pilot it. He slowed the ship, gently maneuvering around some of the larger asteroids. When their path grew too narrow to continue, he ran to the Docking Bay and jumped into the open cockpit of his Arwing.

He hit the ignition, the engines flaring to life with a loud roar, which was quickly deafened by the closing of the cockpit. He buckled himself into the seat, running his hands over the familiar leather interior. Slipping both arms into their individual slots, he lifted the ship off the steel floor, then quickly guided the ship out of the hangar, his Dual-Core thrusters accelerating him to incredible speeds.

Falco smirked, then waved goodbye over their video comlink. "Later."


	6. Keep It Open

**_-THE DEPARTED- _by**_** Fell The Tempest**_

**Chapter Six:** _Keep It Open_

Fox's Arwing crawled through the asteroid field, carefully avoiding any of the deadly meteorites that blocked his way. While blowing them to bits with his ship's lasers or a Nova Bomb could have been an easier approach, there was no telling what the asteroids contained. For all he knew, they could be rich in hydrogen or explosive compounds, and without the Great Fox to scan them, he was better off avoiding them for the time being.

As he approached the rendezvous point, he carefully slowed, his G-diffusers negating his forward momentum as his ship gently floated through space. Three unique craft were already there; they appeared to be Cornerian Issue Buzzard IV's, the ship of choice for the standard Cornerian marine. As the name implied, the Buzzard was a slick gray-colored ship, slightly smaller than the average Arwing. It used dual .120 laser rounds, and had enough fuel in one tank to circle a planet five times. While ill-suited for heavy conflict due to their very thin armor plating, they were maneuverable and agile, as well as hard to detect on radar. This made them invaluable for sneak attacks, scouting missions, and relaying information.

Fox opened up a free comm channel, turned on his mic and spoken in clear tones. "Fox McCloud, reporting in. How's life? Over."

After a brief moment of radio silence, a deep male voice crackled over his Arwing's speakers. "Lieutenant Bear Drengk here. Not bad, comrade, our squad is waiting on approval from the General. Over."

"Yeah, when's the guy gonna let us get started? Corporal Jay Meyu here." Another man replied, sighing into his microphone. "Let's get a move on! Over." A brief silence came over the radio, static flowing gently through the cockpit.

"Meyu, shut your trap. You know better than to question his orders. We'll start when he tells us to, no sooner." came another voice, this one female. It carried a distinct raspy undertone to it, characteristic of most species of wolf.

"Alright, alright! Geez, Sumner, you need to chill out. Take a breath of fresh air once in a while." Teased Meyu, getting a grunt from Sumner. He laughed over the comm, only to be interrupted by his commander.

"Knock it off, Jay. We're on a mission, and as you can see, it's not over yet! Sumner has the right idea." Drengk stated, his military training complementing his gruff voice. Sumner humbly accepted the praise of her captain, while Jay sighed dramatically.

Fox chuckled, then abruptly stopped as the action brought back memories of his team... He shook his head, clearing his mind. Mulling over those memories wouldn't do him any good, especially not on a mission. He sank back into the warmth and comfort of his leather seat, and put his feet up on the dashboard. Cracking his neck loudly, he sighed contentedly.

After a good quarter-hour of inactivity, he tuned out the sounds of the ships and the idle radio chatter, his eyes slowly closing. Eventually, their voices dimmed to a low buzz, and he felt himself drifting into sleep...

"Fox!"

He instantly snapped awake, assuming his normal flight position. "Yes?"

"We've been given the O.K.," Lieutenant Drengk stated, "it's time to move out. Assume a loose flight pattern, and be careful to avoid those rocks. We're going to be splitting up. I'll take point - Jay, you're on starboard, and Samner, you're on our port side. Fox, cover our backs."

"Roger that," Fox replied, slowly accelerating his Arwing to a decent speed. He pulled in behind the other ships, which made room for him in the formation. "Where is our objective located? I'm not seeing any sort of indication on my HUD."

Drengk's voice sounded throughout the cockpit once more. "There isn't a definite location. We're getting strange readings on all of our sonar gear because the signal keeps bouncing off the asteroids around us. Infrared hasn't shown us anything, and X-Ray beams are useless here, since the asteroids seem to contain large quantities of lead, which is decreasing the effectiveness of the radiation being emitted. We may have to run through this area, piece by piece, until we find the source of the disturbance. Over."

"Huh..." Fox muttered, looking through the window that separated his cockpit from the vacuum of space. He really hated missions like this - time consuming, no action, and nearly impossible to stay awake. "So, we're going in blind? Alright, nothing I can't handle. When should we meet up?"

"We have radio contact for the moment, but I'm not sure if it'll hold in these conditions," stated Lieutenant Drengk. "Everyone, I've marked this location on our collective HUDs. We'll meet back here in 0200 hours."

"Roger that," the others replied, as a soft yellow blip appeared at their location on each member's screen,

"Let's get moving." Drengk commanded, his ship slowly turning away from the others.

"Finally!" Meyu exclaimed, as it shot off, zipping through the net of asteroids like a streak of light. "WOOHOO!"

"Show off..." muttered Sumner, as she too broke away, her engines painting the surrounding asteroids with a beautiful sheen of light. "I hate that guy."

--

Fox slowed to a near stop, allowing his craft to drift amidst the floating debris. He tapped a few keys, his ship's sonar sending out a small pulse. Fox's hands began to clench reflexively as the results came back...

Negative.

Fox sighed and slumped once more into his chair. He'd been at this for quite some time, flying to an unsearchable area and launching a sonar scan in hopes of finding something useful. He could only hope that the others were having more success than him... but, he wouldn't be able to know for sure until they met up back at their rendezvous point. Drengk had been right about the comm system; prolonged exposure to the strange energy signatures, plus the metal and distance separating the team members, prevented the exchange of radio signals. Simply put, his comm unit was dead. Occasionally, Fox would recieve a transmission, but it was too garbled and blurred to understand. Using his limited mechanical knowledge, he had attempted to reroute the circuitry in his overhead comm, but had ended up failing miserably. Fox mentally cursed, wishing that Slippy were still here. He'd know how to fix the problem, for sure.

He glanced briefly at his mission clock. _'I've been at this for almost the entire two hours... I need to head back soon.'_ He frowned, returning his ship to speed. Instead of turning around, though, he continued farther into the asteroid cloud. _'Eh, they won't die if I'm a few seconds late. Besides, I've come all this way... no point in turning back now.'_

After a few more minutes of steady flying, he put out another beacon on his map, showing the location he was about to scan. He steadied his hands over the keyboard, and once more, a small tremor shuddered through the hull of his Arwing as a sonar pulse converged on the surrounding asteroids.

However, this time, his labor didn't go without reward. Fox skimmed over the results as they flashed across his ship's HUD, inhaling sharply as he struck gold. _'Mmm... A 'blank spot' in the cloud, roughly a half-mile across. No asteroids... and a high energy output.' _He grinned at the thought, gunning the throttle in his objective's direction.

He turned on his comm to relay the news to his team, but decided not to bother and turned off his receiver. What was the use? The asteroids would interfere with the signal anyway.

He entered the opening in the asteroid field, witnessing what his scans had shown with his own eyes. There was absolutely nothing there; no debris, no star... nothing. Fox frowned, frustration creasing his brow, as he eased his craft out from the blanket of asteroids obscuring the center. _'There's got to be something here. I just need to find it.'_

He felt a wave wash over his body, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up like he had been electrocuted. A few hundred feet away was a large... Fox didn't know what to call it, exactly. It looked like a purple-black mirror, with jagged and cracked edges spreading out into the empty space. It appeared as though someone took a giant knife and 'sliced' through the space, leaving an empty void behind... a thought which seemed preposterous to Fox. Occasionally, it send out ripples of radiation that pushed asteroids farther away and sent shivers down Fox's spine.

He leaned forward in his cockpit, trying to get a solid lock on the strange anomaly that lie in front of his Arwing. The cross-hairs on his ship's HUD scanned briefly over the object, before shutting off automatically, setting Fox on high alert. Whatever it was, his ship's computer couldn't lock on to it, indicating that it had no mass. This astounded Fox - how could something that he could see, have no mass? It couldn't be a mirage, since it was giving off a planet-load of energy.

Suddenly, he felt another, much more deathly tremor shake through his ship, and felt the familiar pull of gravity. Panicking, he realized that the floating object had given off enough energy to form a tractor-beam effect, and it was sucking him in! Alarms and red lights were blaring loudly inside his slightly cramped cockpit. Desperately, he reached for the throttle and gunned the ship into reverse, only for the strength of the pulling to increase. Sweating palms gripped the laser cannons of his ship, and he quickly and accurately fired into the center of the mirror, which had now evolved into a full-fledged vortex - almost like a black hole.

It roared loudly, grasping his Arwing and shoving it between its open maw. Fox's vision turned red as he felt the strangest sensation cascade over fur; he felt cold and clammy, yet his head and eyes were on fire. In his fever dream, he failed to notice the cockpit cracking, or groans echoing through the cockpit, or the snap of steel and bone.

Lylat's finest knew no more.

* * *

_A/N: Yes! I've been working on the story for quite some time now, and I finally have another chapter out. I know it's a bit short, but I haven't had a lot of time, and I figured that I'd give you a slightly short story now than an average-length one, two months from now. Newsflash: Wrestling season is just about over, I've posted my win/loss record and other statistics in my profile, if you're interested and you want to take a look. I still have to go to practice for the the next month or so, along with Saturday meets, but I think I'll have a bit more time to write._

_I have big plans for this story. I have about 30-40 chapters planned out already! (Told ya I'd been working on it!) Unfortunately, they have not been close to written yet, and all I have is ideas... I still need to actually get most of them down on paper._

_Anyway, Read and Review! Please let me know how I'm doing. I appreciate any support (or constructive criticism) I get from you guys. :)_

_After note: Guess where I got the chapter name from. :)_


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